The best picks are much easier to determine than the worst, simply because of sheer field size. You can find 10 unqualified busts in the 1960s and 1970s alone.

It's also important to define a bad draft pick.

Sometimes the pick is poor simply because the player didn't pan out. See: Sullivan, Johnathan, 2003.

Other times it's more complicated. Sometimes the pick is bad because of who wasn't selected. Context is required.

For example, Sam Bowie wasn't a horrible player. He just wasn't Michael Jordan, the player the Portland Trail Blazers bypassed to select Bowie in the 1984 NBA Draft.

So with that in mind, here are one man's picks for the best and worst picks in Saints' NFL Draft history. We'll start with the 10th worst pick, followed by the 10th best pick and will alternate daily leading up to the NFL Draft, April 28-30:

Today -- The No. 8 best pick

David Grunfeld/The Times-PicayuneNew Orleans Saints offensive lineman Jahri Evans was one of the big reasons for the Saints getting to Super Bowl XLIV.

Why it succeeded: The Saints wanted to draft Wisconsin tight end Owen Daniels with their first pick on the second day of the 2006 NFL Draft. With the second pick of the day, they were in great shape to get their man.

The Houston Texans, though, beat them to the punch, nabbing Daniels with the first pick.

Undeterred, the Saints took aim at their second target, Jahri Evans, a little-known offensive lineman from tiny Division II Bloomsburg in Pennsylvania.

The Saints had an "in" with Evans. College scout Jim Manos' father was the offensive coordinator at Bloomsburg. He knew Evans had landed at Bloomsburg solely because of an untimely basketball injury before his senior season. He touted Evans' athleticism, work ethic and character to the staff.

The Saints were high on Evans but confident they could land him lower in the round. They were able to swap fourth-round picks with the Eagles and acquire run-stuffing nose tackle Hollis Thomas. In Evans and Thomas, the Saints essentially acquired two starters for the price of the No. 99 overall pick. Philadelphia chose guard Max Jean-Giles with the pick they acquired from the Saints, who snagged Evans nine spots later. Think Andy Reid would like a mulligan on that move?

The Saints' planned for Evans to back up Jermane Mayberry, but Mayberry retired after suffering a shoulder injury during training camp.

Evans stepped immediately in the stating lineup at right guard and quickly developed into one of the best young interior linemen in the league. He joins Willie Roaf as the only Saints offensive lineman to earn multiple All-Pro selections.